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Brett Belanger 10-05-2020 11:46 AM

Bass ID
 
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Hi Ken,

I hope you are well. I was hoping you could give me your thoughts on the age/origin of this bass. Any help would be appreciated!

Brett Belanger 10-05-2020 11:48 AM

Top
 
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Here’s the top.

Ken Smith 10-05-2020 11:57 AM

The bass is Germanic. Maybe Saxony or across the border on the Czech side/Bohemia. Early 1900s. The finish does not look original to me. Nice quality instrument.

Brett Belanger 10-05-2020 12:03 PM

Ok, thanks Ken! It was for sale as a Mittenwald bass circa 1860’s. Is that possible to your eye? I know pictures can’t do the bass justice.

Ken Smith 10-05-2020 06:29 PM

Mittenwald with a round back? I think I am correct. You should look at sites with Neuner and Hornsteiner basses and see what they look like. Mittenwald is used too often to ID Saxon basses.

Brett Belanger 10-05-2020 07:12 PM

Ok, I’ll check those out. Thanks for your expertise!

Ken Smith 10-05-2020 07:48 PM

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Too many people say Mittenwald or Tyrol for a German or Czech bass they can't be sure of. The button on the pegbox is very Czech/Bohemian like.


Instead of being sharp around the lower edges of the Button, they use a flat bevel to make it look wider. I have seen this many times on Bohemian basses. Classic feature of that school. You can call that 'the smoking gun'.

Brett Belanger 10-05-2020 07:54 PM

I looked at a few Neuner & Hornsteiner basses. Definitely a different look than this bass. Do you think this one could be 19th century? My pictures show some of the more unscathed areas of the bass. It definitely has had many repairs on the ribs and the lower bouts were actually replaced altogether.

Ken Smith 10-05-2020 08:30 PM

1900s.. Most basses are over apprised, higher value, higher pedigree and back dated to the wrong century and wrong country. I see many basses appraised completely wrong.

Brett Belanger 10-05-2020 09:41 PM

Ok, I thought 1860s might be pushing it but I wasn’t sure. Thanks again for your help!


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